The invention herein is in the category of carriers adapted for rigid, external connection to a portion of a vehicle, wherein the carrier is structured to transport various objects thereon. As can be observed, the art area to which this invention is pertinent involves a broad scope of such carrier devices. The subect invention incorporates a significant development over such existing carriers and is particularly important in the carrier art used for transporting small vehicles.
Carriers that are generally connected to the rear portion of vehicles are usually adapted to transport different objects. It is obvious that in the existing relevant art, there is a wide variety of external carriers adapted for transporting small vehicles. From and overview of these various existing art structures, it is clear that carrying devices which are adapted for carrying small vehicles, such as bicycles and similar objects, few incorporate into one structural apparatus and concept the integrated features of portability, relative compactness of component parts when in either the operaable or inoperable position, versatile carrying capabilities and secure holding ability for the carried object. A very limited number of prior art carriers possess features complying to any degree a combination of the foregoing characteristics and criteris. Moreover, few prior art carriers exhibit any significant characteristics which permit the carrier apparatus to be stored readily against the vertical sides of the vehicle whenever the carrier is not in use. Additionally, few such devices have the capability of being easily tilted down to the ground level to facilitate the loading of the carrier object. Thus, the invention herein is a carrier which is conceived and adapted to overcome many of the foregoing problems and deficiencies that exist in the prior art.
In this latter respect, it is to be observed that the subject invention is adapted mainly as a carrier for appendage to the side of a vehicle. Rooftop carriers are frequently used, but such rooftop carriers cannot be w1dely used, in view of the requirement of lifting the object up or down off the vehicle roof. Even certain side or rear-end carriers are difficult to use since a bulky or heavy object must still be lifted even a few feet to be placed on top of the carrier. The subject device herein is adapted primarily to alleviate such lifting requirements.
There are several other problems that are usually encountered with the construction of existing carriers adapted for location on the rear of a motor vehicle. One such problem found with the construction of presently known carriers, is that many such carriers involve complex, intricately integrated parts which lead to expensive manufacturing conditions. Other problems with existing carriers, which are adapted for connection to the posterior of a vehicle as stated above, are seen in the lack of relative portability of such devices and ease of handling for persons with limited physical capacity or mobility, such as handicapped or aged persons, for example. The subject invention is directed and conceived in order to overcome these variant problems in order to provide an improved carrier for appendage to the exterior of a motor vehicle so that it is easy to construct and use by such persons of limited mobility, and the following objects of the subject invention are directed accordingly.